Enhancing Computational Thinking Capability of Preschool Children by Game-based Smart Toys

Szu Yin Lin; Shih Yi Chien; Chia Lin Hsiao; Chih Hsien Hsia; Kuo Ming Chao

doi:10.1016/j.elerap.2020.101011

Enhancing Computational Thinking Capability of Preschool Children by Game-based Smart Toys

Szu Yin Lin, Shih Yi Chien, Chia Lin Hsiao, Chih Hsien Hsia, Kuo Ming Chao

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

48 Citations (Scopus)

991 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Computational thinking has become an important issue in the field of education. Because preschool and kindergarten learners are capable of exercising their cognitive abilities to resolve basic computational logic, this demographic has raised significant interest in studying their learning intentions and behaviors. However, prior research fails to examine the effects of teaching computational logic to kindergarten children. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influences of teaching approaches in guiding preschool children to learn computational logic and programming concepts to enhance their problem-solving skills as well as computational thinking abilities. A novel teaching framework is designed to develop the learner's cognitive abilities, which adopts the smart toy game-based learning approach along with a tangible user interface (TUI) to enhance children's learning performance and interests. The proposed teaching approach integrates the game-based learning concepts into the TUI system, where the learning processes allow the learners to effectively practice the conceptual knowledge and efficiently advance their problem-solving skills. The results suggest using the developed game-based TUI system can increase preschool children's learning behaviors as well as enhance their learning interests and computational thinking abilities.

Original language	English
Article number	101011
Number of pages	16
Journal	Electronic Commerce Research and Applications
Volume	44
Early online date	28 Sept 2020
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2020.101011
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2020

Bibliographical note

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Electronic Commerce Research and Applications. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 44, (2020]
DOI: 10.1016/j.elerap.2020.101011

© 2020, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Funder

Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, under Grant MOST 109-2410-H-197-002-MY3 and MOST 109-2410-H-004-067-MY2

Funding

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology , Taiwan, under Grant MOST 109-2410-H-197-002-MY3 and MOST 109-2410-H-004-067-MY2 .

Funders	Funder number
Ministry of Science and Technology Taiwan	MOST 109-2410-H-004-067-MY2, MOST 109-2410-H-197-002-MY3
Ministry of Science and Technology Taiwan

Keywords

Cognitive development of children
Computational thinking
Game-based learning
Smart toys
Tangible user interface

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Computer Science Applications
Computer Networks and Communications
Marketing
Management of Technology and Innovation

Access to Document

10.1016/j.elerap.2020.101011

Post-PrintAccepted author manuscript, 1.9 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

@article{c2b33944ef9a4e77a45dbacb5177dee2,

title = "Enhancing Computational Thinking Capability of Preschool Children by Game-based Smart Toys",

abstract = "Computational thinking has become an important issue in the field of education. Because preschool and kindergarten learners are capable of exercising their cognitive abilities to resolve basic computational logic, this demographic has raised significant interest in studying their learning intentions and behaviors. However, prior research fails to examine the effects of teaching computational logic to kindergarten children. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influences of teaching approaches in guiding preschool children to learn computational logic and programming concepts to enhance their problem-solving skills as well as computational thinking abilities. A novel teaching framework is designed to develop the learner's cognitive abilities, which adopts the smart toy game-based learning approach along with a tangible user interface (TUI) to enhance children's learning performance and interests. The proposed teaching approach integrates the game-based learning concepts into the TUI system, where the learning processes allow the learners to effectively practice the conceptual knowledge and efficiently advance their problem-solving skills. The results suggest using the developed game-based TUI system can increase preschool children's learning behaviors as well as enhance their learning interests and computational thinking abilities.",

keywords = "Cognitive development of children, Computational thinking, Game-based learning, Smart toys, Tangible user interface",

author = "Lin, {Szu Yin} and Chien, {Shih Yi} and Hsiao, {Chia Lin} and Hsia, {Chih Hsien} and Chao, {Kuo Ming}",

note = "NOTICE: this is the author{\textquoteright}s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Electronic Commerce Research and Applications. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 44, (2020] DOI: 10.1016/j.elerap.2020.101011 {\textcopyright} 2020, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ",

year = "2020",

month = nov,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.elerap.2020.101011",

language = "English",

volume = "44",

journal = "Electronic Commerce Research and Applications",

issn = "1567-4223",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Enhancing Computational Thinking Capability of Preschool Children by Game-based Smart Toys

AU - Lin, Szu Yin

AU - Chien, Shih Yi

AU - Hsiao, Chia Lin

AU - Hsia, Chih Hsien

AU - Chao, Kuo Ming

N1 - NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Electronic Commerce Research and Applications. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 44, (2020] DOI: 10.1016/j.elerap.2020.101011 © 2020, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

PY - 2020/11/1

Y1 - 2020/11/1

N2 - Computational thinking has become an important issue in the field of education. Because preschool and kindergarten learners are capable of exercising their cognitive abilities to resolve basic computational logic, this demographic has raised significant interest in studying their learning intentions and behaviors. However, prior research fails to examine the effects of teaching computational logic to kindergarten children. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influences of teaching approaches in guiding preschool children to learn computational logic and programming concepts to enhance their problem-solving skills as well as computational thinking abilities. A novel teaching framework is designed to develop the learner's cognitive abilities, which adopts the smart toy game-based learning approach along with a tangible user interface (TUI) to enhance children's learning performance and interests. The proposed teaching approach integrates the game-based learning concepts into the TUI system, where the learning processes allow the learners to effectively practice the conceptual knowledge and efficiently advance their problem-solving skills. The results suggest using the developed game-based TUI system can increase preschool children's learning behaviors as well as enhance their learning interests and computational thinking abilities.

AB - Computational thinking has become an important issue in the field of education. Because preschool and kindergarten learners are capable of exercising their cognitive abilities to resolve basic computational logic, this demographic has raised significant interest in studying their learning intentions and behaviors. However, prior research fails to examine the effects of teaching computational logic to kindergarten children. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influences of teaching approaches in guiding preschool children to learn computational logic and programming concepts to enhance their problem-solving skills as well as computational thinking abilities. A novel teaching framework is designed to develop the learner's cognitive abilities, which adopts the smart toy game-based learning approach along with a tangible user interface (TUI) to enhance children's learning performance and interests. The proposed teaching approach integrates the game-based learning concepts into the TUI system, where the learning processes allow the learners to effectively practice the conceptual knowledge and efficiently advance their problem-solving skills. The results suggest using the developed game-based TUI system can increase preschool children's learning behaviors as well as enhance their learning interests and computational thinking abilities.

KW - Cognitive development of children

KW - Computational thinking

KW - Game-based learning

KW - Smart toys

KW - Tangible user interface

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85094326866&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.elerap.2020.101011

DO - 10.1016/j.elerap.2020.101011

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85094326866

SN - 1567-4223

VL - 44

JO - Electronic Commerce Research and Applications

JF - Electronic Commerce Research and Applications

M1 - 101011

ER -

Enhancing Computational Thinking Capability of Preschool Children by Game-based Smart Toys

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funder

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this